


At Last

by moongirl24



Category: As the World Turns
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-28
Updated: 2016-12-28
Packaged: 2018-09-12 21:54:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9092200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moongirl24/pseuds/moongirl24
Summary: Luke, Noah and their dog live a good life in L.A. This is the story of how they got there.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [frances_veritas](https://archiveofourown.org/users/frances_veritas/gifts).



> For Moey, who wanted future, happy Nuke with a dog. And flashbacks. Written for [nuke_anon](http://nuke-anon.livejournal.com/)'s Secret Santa event. Moey, thank you for the great prompts, and I hope you like the story! Happy holidays!
> 
> Thank you Ronnie for being my beta and cheerleader :)

_Los Angeles, March 2016_

Luke closes his laptop and stretches his arms above his head with a small groan. He’s finished another chapter of his book and he feels really good about it, but right now he’s very much in need of a break. The almost four hours of nonstop writing has made his shoulders stiff and his eyes ready to look at something other than words on a computer screen. And all of a sudden his stomach is growling, loudly and impatiently, reminding him exactly how long it’s been since his last meal. 

It’s definitely time for lunch.

The fridge is almost empty, but Luke doesn’t feel like staying in anyway. Working from home definitely has its perks, and most of the time he wouldn’t want it any other way, but sometimes it feels kind of claustrophobic, being holed up inside the apartment day in and day out. Sometimes he’ll find a quiet café or coffee shop and work there for a few hours just to get a change of scenery, and every once in a while he’ll go to work with Noah and share his office for the day.

He tries not to do that too often though, because, well, they both have a tendency to get distracted.

Right now, by the looks of it, Luke’s not the only one who’s ready to go outside for a while. The second that he gets off his desk chair, their dog, Luna, is over by the front door, her tail wagging eagerly while she gives Luke her most pleading look, the one that he’s never been able to resist.

“Do you want to go outside, sweetie?” he asks, using that voice that he only ever uses with her, and on the rare occasion that he interacts with a baby. “What do you say we go visit daddy at work, huh? Would you like that?”

Sometimes Luke is convinced that Luna understands every word he’s saying. As an answer to his question her tail starts moving faster and her eyes seem to light up. Luke leans down and ruffles her soft fur, fastening the leash to her collar. She gives him a wet lick across the face in gratitude, clearly knowing what’s going to happen next.

Being able to take Luna out in the middle of the day is definitely one of the advantages of working from home. With the long hours that both he and Noah need to put into their work sometimes, Luna would’ve had to spend many long days by herself and Luke knows that neither he nor Noah would’ve been comfortable with that.

Outside it’s sunny and warm, just like most days in L.A. The constant good weather is one of the things about LA that Luke most certainly enjoys, even though he does sometimes find himself missing the change in weather and seasons that he’s used to from spending the majority of his life in Oakdale. Sometimes he just misses Oakdale, period. But this is his home now. This place, this city, with Noah and Luna, his little family. He wouldn’t want to be anywhere else other than right here with them.

Sometimes he marvels at the fact that he’s been here for three years already.

Sometimes he marvels at the fact that it took him so long to get here.

Noah’s place of work, a production company that specializes in television commercials, is walking distance from their apartment, which is convenient when Luke feels like dropping by during the day. Maybe a little too convenient, sometimes. But it’s not like he visits that often.

And today is not like any other day.

On the way, he makes a stop at one of their favorite delis and picks up lunch and two cups of coffee, feeling like he’d be a pretty good candidate for the boyfriend-of-the-year award, if such a thing existed.

  


####

  


Noah’s work place is, as always, buzzing with activity. Luke has been there enough times to know most of the people there, and on his way to Noah’s office, he makes several stops in order to catch up with various people that he hasn’t seen in a while. Luna is basking in all the attention she receives and is on her very best behavior, and Luke watches everyone gather around her, feeling like a proud parent.

“Noah’s in his office,” Michelle offers, nodding her head in the direction of Noah’s office. She eyes the lunch bag and coffee cups that Luke’s carrying with a hint of longing. “Something smells good.”

“Do you know if he’s had lunch yet?”

She snorts. “You know how he gets when he’s trying to finish up a project. Lunch is the last thing on his mind.”

Luke laughs because, yes, she’s probably right about that. And she’ll know, having worked with Noah for years now. She’s also a good friend of Noah’s, and of Luke’s, too.

“He’s been holed up in his office all day,” Michelle continues. “We haven’t seen him much. Or at all, actually.”

“So I came at just the right time. Hopefully I can convince him to take a break.”

“He won’t say no to you.” She sighs, eyeing the lunch bag again. “My boyfriend would never think to show up here with lunch. Noah has no idea how lucky he is.”

“Please, make sure to remind him of that,” Luke says with a grin and a wave as he starts walking the rest of the way to Noah’s office, Luna trailing behind him.

He knocks on the door, and opens it without waiting for an answer. Noah looks up from his computer when Luke enters, his face lighting up. “Hey, what are you doing here?”

Before Luke has time to answer, Luna barks happily and surges forward in an attempt to get to Noah. Luke lets her go because there’s no point in trying to hold her back anyway. She’s over by Noah in a second, greeting him enthusiastically.

“Someone wanted to see you,” Luke says casually, unable to keep the grin off his face as he watches the dog’s obvious joy at seeing Noah. If Luke didn’t know any better he’d think she hadn’t seen him in months.

Noah has leaned down to welcome Luna, ruffling her fur the way she likes best. “I see. And is that someone you or Luna?”

“Luna, of course.” Luke saunters around Noah’s desk, aware of Noah’s eyes on him the entire time, finally dropping himself down on Noah’s lap. “I don’t really care.”

“Of course you don’t.”

They meet in a kiss, Noah’s arms snaking around Luke’s waist, warm and steady. Luke loses himself in it for a moment, because kissing Noah is always going to be one of his favorite things in the world. And it’s different today. Extra special.

Besides, making out in Noah’s office is always fun.

They only break apart when Luna starts making unhappy I’m-feeling-left-out sounds and Luke almost drops the cups of coffee and the lunch bag he’s still holding. He lifts them up for Noah to see. “I brought you lunch. Can you take a break?”

That familiar, small I’ve-just-been-kissed grin is lingering on Noah’s face as he checks the time and nods. “How can I resist an offer like that? It’s way past lunchtime anyway. I must’ve lost track of time.”

“Good thing you have such a devoted spouse-to-be, then,” Luke points out and gives Noah one more quick kiss before getting off his lap.

“Yeah, what would I ever do without you?” He smiles, but Luke knows that there is also sincerity behind his words, that they’re not entirely meant as a joke. And Luke feels exactly the same way.

Noah gets up off his desk chair and grabs Luna’s leash. “The roof?”

  


####

  


It’s not the first time that Noah’s had lunch with Luke and Luna on the roof. It’s a pretty big space, with benches scattered around, and it’s normally a popular lunch spot for everyone who works in the building, but today, with the late lunch they’re having, they have the roof almost to themselves. Luna’s found a place in the shadow to lie down for a rest, and Noah and Luke enjoy the bagels and coffees that Luke brought.

When he’s done eating, Noah sets his coffee down and takes Luke’s hand instead. He lazily threads their fingers together.

“How are you feeling today?”

Luke looks at him, the radiant expression on his face telling Noah exactly how he’s feeling.

“I feel amazing. Like the luckiest guy in the world. And I don’t even care how cheesy that sounds.” He grins and squeezes Noah’s hand. “You?”

Noah can’t help the small laugh that bursts out of him. It’s just that kind of day. “Pretty much the same.” He looks over at Luke, who somehow looks even more gorgeous than usual today. Or maybe that’s just the happy butterflies in Noah’s stomach talking. “I’ve never been happier.”

Luke lifts their joined hands to his lips and kisses Noah’s fingers. “I’m happy too, baby. Very happy.” He grins a little wider. “And you aren’t bummed that I beat you to it?”

Noah laughs. It’s kind of funny, really, how it all happened. He’d planned on proposing to Luke for a while now, had bought a ring more than a month ago and was really just waiting for the right moment to do it. But then, last night, Luke had been the one to present Noah with a ring and a question, on one knee and with words that made Noah choke up with emotion. So now they’re both wearing rings. And they’re engaged. Very much so. 

“Maybe a little bit,” he admits, because he’d had so many images in his head about how the proposal would go down, and in the end it turned out so differently. “I know I would’ve loved to propose to you. But honestly, I wouldn’t have changed a thing about last night. You blew me away, Luke.”

“I’m glad. I wanted to surprise you.”

“That you did.”

Luke holds their joined hands up, studying the ring on Noah’s finger. “Anyone at work notice yet?”

“Not yet. But I’ve been busy today and haven’t talked with a whole lot of people.”

“You know it’s not going to stay a secret for very long. I actually thought Michelle might’ve noticed when I talked with her before, but she was more interested in the bagels. And you know, once one person finds out, it’s only a matter of time before everyone knows.”

“I know. And that’s okay. I want everyone to know. Eventually. Right now I’m happy sharing it only with you.”

Luke moves a little closer, his head coming down to rest on Noah’s shoulder. Noah wraps an arm around him.

“You know what yesterday was, right?” Luke asks. “You know why I picked that particular day to propose to you?”

Noah nods. Of course he knows. It was their three year anniversary of getting back together, after those long years apart. Sitting here right now it feels like this is how it was always meant to be, but for a long time it seemed like it was never going to happen. The happy ending that they’d both once envisioned together seemed too far away to ever become a reality.

  


####

  
_Los Angeles, June 2011_

Ameera has changed. That’s the first thing that Noah notices as they greet each other with a hug in the fairly crowded coffee shop. Maybe not so much in the way that she looks, but in the way that she carries herself. Now, instead of the scared, cautious girl he once knew, he sees a woman who is confident and comfortable in her own skin, one who seems to have found her place in the world.

“I’m married,” she tells Noah once the first pleasantries are out of the way and they’ve found a table to sit down with their coffees. “My husband is a wonderful man, kind and considerate. We’re very happy together.”

Noah smiles a little. She _looks_ happy. “I’m glad. You deserve nothing less.”

When she’d first contacted him on Facebook, he wasn’t sure how he felt about seeing her again. Truth is they’d never been very close, their relationship solely based on the fact that she’d needed his help. And to be honest she reminds him a little too much of a time in his life that he’d rather not think about. He’d tried so hard to do the right thing, but by marrying Ameera he’d somehow ended up hurting both her and Luke, and that’s something that he’ll always regret.

But he also really wanted to see her. No matter what, he feels a connection with her. There was a time when he kind of thought of her as a sister, and he still does, in a way. And maybe they can finally have a real relationship now, as friends and equals.

“How are you?” she asks him. “How’s Luke?”

And there it is. The other reason why he hadn’t been sure about meeting her. It’s always difficult with people who knew him and Luke back then.

“I’m good,” he says. “I really like L.A., and I’ve just landed a great job with a company who makes commercials.”

“Congratulations.” She smiles a little. “And Luke, what does he do?”

Noah looks down. “Luke’s… back home in Oakdale. We’re not together. Haven’t been in a while.”

When he looks up again he can see the surprise on her face. “Why not? I mean… I’m sorry, I–”

He waves her apology away. It’s not the first time he’s gotten that reaction when he tells people about him and Luke. “It’s okay. Obviously things have changed since we last saw each other.”

“So, what happened? If you don’t mind my asking.”

In a way he _does_ mind, because it’s not exactly his favorite thing to talk about, but he answers anyway. “It’s a long story. To give you the short version: we broke up last year, he met someone else who passed away a few months later, I left Oakdale and came here… and that’s pretty much it.”

She looks shocked. “Wow. That’s…”

“I know. It’s not what you expected.”

“No, it’s not.” She pauses for a moment. “So how’s Luke doing now? That must’ve been really hard for him.”

“It was.” Noah hesitates for a moment. “Honestly… I’m not sure how he’s doing. We don’t really talk much these days.”

She studies him. “Why not? I thought you two loved each other.”

“We did. It’s… complicated. When I left I was trying to give him space to get past what happened with his boyfriend, and somehow we just didn’t get back in touch. I mean, I still see him sometimes, when I go back to Oakdale. His family still invites me to stay with them for the holidays,” he adds, explaining. “But Luke and I, we just haven’t…” He shrugs.

“So are you seeing someone else then?”

He shakes his head. “No. I’ve dated a few people since I came here, but they’re just not…”

“They’re not Luke?”

He sighs. He’s not entirely comfortable with the direction this conversation has taken. “I guess. He was the first person I ever loved.”

“And something tells me that you still do.”

He shrugs again. “It doesn’t matter. What we had, it’s all in the past now. Our lives are moving in different directions. And we were so different in the first place. It just wasn’t meant to be, I guess.”

She sets her coffee cup down with a little bang, surprising him with the force of it. “Now, that I don’t believe for a second. I may not have known you guys for very long, and the circumstances back then may have been a little… extraordinary, but I know what I saw. I saw two people who loved each other. Very much. That kind of love doesn’t just go away, Noah. I can see that it hasn’t. And I know what it feels like to love someone now. To truly love someone. And maybe you and Luke don’t have a future together, but you shouldn’t just throw away what you had. So if you love him, then he should be a part of your life. As a friend, if nothing more.”

For a moment Noah can only stare at her. Is this really the same Ameera that he once knew?

A moment later she continues. “I’m sorry. I’m practically a stranger, and this is really not my business. But I care about you, Noah, and I’d hate to see you throw away something so special without even trying to fix it.”

“But what if Luke doesn’t want anything to do with me?” He really hates how small and pathetic that sounds.

She smiles a little. “I don’t know Luke all that well, but somehow I doubt that. Do you really think that he’d let his parents invite you to spend the holidays with them if he didn’t want you around?”

Noah wants to protest, wants to say that Luke might just be doing that out of courtesy, that maybe he’s seeing someone else now, that it’s all too late anyway, but he knows that she’s right. If he wants Luke in his life, he needs to do something about it.

That same night he sends Luke the text message that he should’ve sent months ago.

  


####

  
_Oakdale, August 2012_

Maddie and Casey’s wedding comes as a surprise to everyone. It’s only a few months after they got back together when they decided to get married and invite all their friends and family for a big wedding celebration in Oakdale.

Noah is there too. Luke can’t help but watch him across the room sometimes, looking so tall and handsome in his dark suit. They’ve been in a pretty good place for the past year or so, with regular texts and phone calls and even Skype chats. It wasn’t easy, figuring out how to be friends with Noah, especially not long distance friends, because they’d never really done that. They’d never been _just_ friends. Not really.

It was difficult, after Noah left. After Reid’s death. Luke felt as if he’d lost them both, and even though he knew that Noah was still out there, he didn’t know what to do about it. Too much had happened and he didn’t know how to move past it.

He still doesn’t.

It’s a nice wedding. For a long time he didn’t feel much like talking with anyone, but now he enjoys catching up with people that he hasn’t seen in a while, even though it’s awkward sometimes when they don’t know how to bring up Reid, or if they even should. He’s so happy for Maddie and Casey, who both look happier than he’s ever seen them. He’s seated next to Noah at dinner, and they joke about the fact that they’re seemingly the only two single people in attendance. 

That’s definitely progress, Luke thinks.

It’s a good day. Luke smiles more, laughs more, than he’s done in a long time. It feels good, almost liberating. He’s finally starting to feel like the person he used to be.

He and Noah spend a lot of time together that day. They talk. They dance. They laugh.

And somehow, in the early hours of the morning, they end up in a hotel room at the Lakeview.

 _That_ was definitely not planned. But Luke can’t find it in himself to regret it. It’s _Noah_ , and being intimate with him is not something that Luke will ever regret. He’s missed it, being with Noah this way. 

His only worry is that it’s going to complicate things further.

Luke starts to express his concerns to Noah the next morning, as they’re lying next to each other in bed, even though, at that moment, with Noah’s long, warm body so close to him, it’s easy to forget that there’s actually a world outside of this room. But he’s only gotten a few words out before Noah interrupts him.

“It’s okay, Luke,” Noah says, kissing his hair. “Whatever you need, okay? This doesn’t have to be a big deal. It can just be us, friends, having fun together.”

It sounds so easy. But Noah will always be more than a friend. And this was more than just fun.

But they leave it at that. And the next day, Noah goes back to L.A.

  


####

  
_Oakdale, Christmas 2012_

Christmas at Snyder Farm is the usual chaos, but Luke knows that even though he may complain about it sometimes, he wouldn’t want it any other way. Especially since Christmas at the farm includes Noah.

Noah hasn’t missed a holiday with Luke’s family since he left for L.A. Luke remembers when his parents came to him, shortly after Noah had left Oakdale back in 2010, and asked how he felt about continuing to invite Noah to spend the holidays with them, even though he and Luke were no longer together and Noah no longer lived in Oakdale. Luke had told them that he was fine with it – Noah loved the family and there was no way that Luke was going to keep him from them no matter what was going on between the two of them – and to be honest Luke could no longer imagine a holiday without Noah there, anyway.

The first few times were a little awkward. It was like everything that had happened, and the fact that they were living in opposite parts of the country now, had created a distance between them. Luke suspected that Noah was trying to give him space, or that maybe Noah just wasn’t all that interested in him anymore. And Luke didn’t know how to tell Noah that he still wanted him, and needed him, in his life.

It just felt like he no longer had the right to ask that of Noah.

Things have changed since then. They are friends now. And sometimes… friends with benefits?

Okay, that only happened once. But Luke hasn’t quite been able to stop thinking about it. And he also wouldn’t be completely against the idea of doing it again.

Early in the evening on Christmas Eve, he’s out in the barn, mucking out the stables. He likes it out here with the horses, where there’s peace and quiet, especially when there are so many people and so much going on inside the house. Noah arrived earlier in the day and Luke hasn’t had much of a chance to talk with him yet, with the whole family all so eager to get a piece of him.

It was _really_ good to see him though.

His dad shows up a few minutes later, starts mucking out the stall next to the one that Luke’s in.

“It’s good to have Noah back with us, don’t you think?” he asks, after a few minutes of working in silence.

Luke immediately gets suspicious. He knows his dad. This sounds like the beginning of a good old Holden Snyder talk and he’s not sure he’s up for that.

“Of course, dad,” he says a little apprehensively. “It’s always good to see Noah.”

“Maybe it’s time that you finally talked with him. Told him how you feel.”

Luke stops what he’s doing. “And what exactly is it that I feel, dad?”

Holden shows up in Luke’s stall. “Well, you love him, don’t you? It doesn’t take a genius to figure that out.”

Luke doesn’t say anything for a moment. Of course he loves Noah. He always has, and he probably always will. It’s just… it’s just not that simple.

“Of course I love him,” he says after a while. “But that doesn’t mean that we can get back together, if that’s what you’re getting at. Or that we even should.”

“And why is that?”

“Because… it’s complicated, okay?”

“Because of Reid?”

“Among other things.”

“Luke, it’s been more than two years. You’re allowed to move on.”

“I know. But it’s not just about that.”

“Then what is it about?”

Luke closes his eyes for a moment. Not only is he suddenly discussing his love life with his dad, which is always kind of awkward, but how can he explain how he feels to someone else when he doesn’t always fully understand it himself?

He sighs. “First of all, I doubt that Noah would even want to get back together at this point. I know that he’s dating in L.A., that he has a whole new life there, and I’m not going to just ask him to get back together, after all this time. That’s not fair to him. And second of all – I feel guilty, okay? I feel guilty because I always loved Noah the most, even when I was with Reid, even when he died. I didn’t want to admit it to myself back then, but I did. And it makes me feel like I… like I failed Reid somehow.”

“So… you’re punishing yourself because you think you didn’t love Reid enough?”

“I don’t know,” Luke says, slightly exasperated. “I did love him, I just… I loved Noah more. And then time went by and I thought about Reid less and less, and… I just can’t help but thinking that going back to my ex, who was always, you know, _special_ , is not the right way to honor Reid’s memory.”

“You can’t think like that forever, Luke. At some point you have to move on. And you’re allowed to. If Reid loved you, he’d want you to be happy.”

“I know he would.” He sighs. “I just want to do the right thing. For me, and for Noah, and for Reid. And right now I don’t know what that is.”

“Luke, you’re overthinking this. A lot of things have happened, but they’re all in the past, and there is nothing you can do about them now. You need to think about your future and you need to do whatever makes you happy, and it sounds to me like you want to be with Noah. So go be with him. Don’t make it any more complicated than that.”

“I can’t just stop feeling what I’m feeling, dad. I need more time. And even if I was ready, I’m not expecting Noah to, like, welcome me back with open arms. He moved on a long time ago.”

 _Well, maybe not_ , a voice inside his head offers. _He did sleep with you only a few months ago._

Yes, but that didn’t mean anything, Luke tells himself. Or, well, it meant _something_ – to him, anyway – but it didn’t mean that Noah wants him back. Luke knows that Noah is actively dating back in LA; he might even have a boyfriend there, for all Luke knows.

(He’s not Facebook official with anyone, though. Luke knows that much.)

His dad holds his hands up in surrender. “Hey, it’s your life, and you should do whatever is right for you. But you can’t blame me for wanting to see you happy. I’m your dad – it’s part of the job description.”

Luke smiles a little. He’s not mad at Holden. “I know, dad. And I appreciate you wanting to help. But I think this is something I need to figure out for myself.”

He’s not quite sure how to do that, though. He knows that Holden is right, that he needs to move forward, and maybe he finally _is_ ready to be with someone again…

Luke sighs. His heart belongs to Noah, he knows that much. But he’s pretty sure it’s too late. And that’s what scares him the most.

  


####

  


Noah loves spending Christmas at Snyder Farm. It’s always crazy and chaotic, and this year is no exception, but Noah is a part of the chaos now, he’s included, just like any other member of the family, and he loves it.

Unfortunately he can only stay for a few days. He has a job waiting for him back in L.A. and he wasn’t able to get much time off. As he’s hugging each and every member of the family goodbye, there’s a big part of him that really doesn’t want to leave Oakdale. This is the closest thing he has to a family, and he misses them a lot when he’s not here. The couple of times a year that he gets to see them isn’t nearly enough.

Luke had offered to drive him to the airport, and Noah had accepted, all the while knowing that he’s postponing the most difficult goodbye of all. But it also means more time spent with Luke, so he’ll take it. They haven’t had much alone time during Noah’s stay at the farm.

Luke is carrying Noah’s things out to the car when Holden pulls Noah aside.

“Look, I should probably stay out of it,” he starts. “Luke wouldn’t be happy if he knew that I was talking to you. But I think I need to tell you something before you leave.”

“Okay…?” Noah looks at him, having no idea what Holden is talking about.

Holden lowers his voice a little. “Noah, if you love Luke and want him back, you need to tell him that.”

Noah just shakes his head. “Luke doesn’t want that. I told him once to come to me when he was ready and he never has, so…”

“I know that. But Luke’s more… cautious than he used to be. He loves you, Noah, but I don’t think he’s going to tell you that. He thinks you’ve moved on.”

“He told you this?”

Holden nods. “Look, I don’t want to betray his trust, so this is all I’m going to say. I just wanted you to know that you’re the one who has to take the first step here.”

Noah thinks about what Holden said all the way to the airport. He throws a few glances over at Luke at the wheel, wondering if what Holden told him is true. Does Luke really want to get back together? After they’d slept together this summer, Noah had gotten the impression that he wasn’t interested in anything else, and he’d tried to respect that. But whether Luke felt that way because he still wasn’t ready or because he just didn’t love Noah anymore was a little unclear to Noah.

Noah knows how he feels about Luke. Sure, he’s dated guys back in L.A., but only casually. He’s never stopped loving Luke and he’s pretty sure he never will. And he thought that Luke knew that, thought that they had some sort of understanding. That he would wait for Luke in L.A. and that Luke would come to him when he was ready. If that’s what he wanted.

But that conversation happened a long time ago. And they haven’t talked about it since.

Saying goodbye to Luke at the airport is difficult. It always is, and this time more so than ever. Noah doesn’t know when he’ll see him again, and when he hugs Luke, he doesn’t want to let him go. They hug for a long time, and when they finally pull away from each other, Noah knows that he needs to say something. It feels like one of those defining moments, one that he will think about with regret for the rest of his life if he doesn’t follow his heart.

“Luke, remember what I told you that time, right before I left Oakdale? That I’d wait for you?”

“Yes. I remember.” His voice is soft, his eyes a little wet, their goodbye clearly affecting him as much as it’s affecting Noah.

“I just want you to know that I still mean that. Okay? Whenever you’re ready, I’m there. If you want me to be.”

Luke just looks at him with those beautiful brown eyes. Then he nods, and smiles a little, and Noah isn’t sure what that means, but he hopes that it’s a good thing.

  


####

  
_Los Angeles, March 2013_

Noah has imagined it over and over again in his head, like a scene from a movie. That moment when Luke finally comes to L.A. to confess his undying love for him.

And then he feels silly, because real life is nothing like the movies, and Noah knows that. Their reunion could very well never happen.

But one evening in March, a little over two months after they said goodbye to each other at the airport, Luke’s at his doorstep, and it’s almost like Noah imagined it.

“I’m here,” Luke says, with an uncertain laugh and a little shrug. “I’m here because I love you, because I never stopped loving you and because I’m hoping that you might still love me too.”

And Noah can’t help himself, because it feels like he’s waited for this moment forever – he surges forward and kisses Luke, the way he’s wanted to for so long.

  


####

  
_Los Angeles, March 2016_

Luke has dinner ready for Noah when he gets home from work that evening. It’s technically Noah’s turn to cook, but he had to work later than usual today, and Luke feels like spoiling him anyway. For the first time in his life, he’s cooking dinner for his fiancé, and he can’t stop smiling as he sets a nice table and lights some candles in order to make the evening a little extra special.

Noah comes home a little later, surprising Luke with a big bouquet of flowers.

“I figured we have reason to celebrate,” he says, kissing Luke while Luna moves around between their legs, trying her best to get their attention. “And not just the engagement. It looks like I finally have the funding I need for the movie. If everything goes well we can start shooting next year.”

He looks so proud, and Luke laughs and throws his arms around him, trying not to ruin the flowers in the process. “Oh my god, baby. That’s amazing.”

“It is,” Noah says into Luke’s hair. “It’s finally happening.”

Over dinner, with the flowers in a vase on the table between them, Noah continues to talk eagerly about his plans for the movie. Luke has heard it all before, many times, but it doesn’t matter because he’s so thrilled for Noah. He has worked hard for this, in addition to all the work he puts in for his regular job, for years.

“I couldn’t have done it without you,” Noah says after a while, grabbing Luke’s hand across the table. “Thank you.”

“For what?” Luke asks, caressing Noah’s hand with his thumb. “You did all the work.”

“And you always supported me. If it wasn’t for you and your family, I wouldn’t even have a camera, or any kind of equipment. You guys always believed in me.”

“Of course we did. We’re your family, Noah. We’ll always support you.”

They look at each other across the table for a moment, small smiles on their faces. “When do you think we should tell them?” Noah asks. “About the engagement?”

“Soon,” Luke says. “They’ll kill us if we keep this a secret for very long.”

“You might actually be right about that. Let’s call them tomorrow.”

“We should probably set a wedding date as soon as possible. You know it’ll be one of the first questions they’ll ask.”

“I’d marry you tomorrow if I could.”

Luke laughs. “What’s the rush, Mr. Mayer? We have all the time in the world. And I think I’ll really enjoy referring to you as my fiancé for a while.”

“Yeah, that does sound nice.” Noah sounds a little wistful. “But I still don’t want to wait too long to get married. I want to make us official.”

Luke gets that. At least he thinks he does. Noah’s never really had a family, not until he came to Oakdale. And even though he’s been an honorary Snyder for years now, he wants to have it on paper. That he belongs somewhere.

Luke can’t wait to give that to him.

When they’ve finished their dinner, Noah offers to clean up. “You cooked and set the table and made everything so nice,” he says. “It’s only fair that I do the rest.”

Luke helps a little, but mostly he watches Noah because, well, it’s always nice to watch Noah. His long, lean body moves effortlessly around the kitchen, putting dishes and utensils in the dishwasher and rinsing pots and pans in the sink, and it’s such an everyday thing to do, but Luke still can’t help but find the sight of Noah in the kitchen incredibly… sexy. Noah is very good-looking, of course, but it’s not just that. This is their life. This is what they’ve created for themselves, and it’s not always perfect and the road leading up to this point was long and sometimes difficult, but right now Luke has no regrets. He loves what they have.

He can’t help himself; he walks up to Noah and wraps his arms around him from behind, kissing his neck.

“What’s that for?” Noah murmurs, turning his head in an attempt to look at Luke. Luke puts his forehead against the back of Noah’s shoulder.

“I love you,” he says simply. “And I’m… I’m so proud of us, Noah. I’m proud of us for getting to this point, for getting through everything that we’ve had to go through, for getting past all those obstacles that’ve been thrown at us. _We_ did that. We may have had some help along the way, but this is our journey. It’s our life. And I’m so happy.”

Noah turns around in Luke’s arms, wrapping him up in an embrace. Luke would never tell Noah this, but secretly he’s always loved that Noah is taller than him. Not only is he nice to look at, but his embraces, the way he wraps Luke up so completely, is the _best_.

“You’re kind of sappy, Snyder,” Noah says against Luke’s hair. “But I’m pretty proud of us, too. And I love you, sappiness and all.”

Luke snorts, but he also can’t help but smile, and then Luna lets out a long, suffering sound, just to let them both know that she’s still here and they better not forget about her. They both burst out laughing and pull apart, looking down at the newest, but very important, member of their family – a fact that she never lets them forget.

“We love you too, Luna,” Luke grins, as Noah bends down to ruffle her fur, giving her exactly what she wants.

 

THE END


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